


Hold Your Breath

by nepenthe_writer



Series: WinterIron Bingo [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Danger, Drowning, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepenthe_writer/pseuds/nepenthe_writer
Summary: An infiltration into a Hydra base goes wrong leaving Tony in over his head





	Hold Your Breath

**Author's Note:**

> Square: O2 for the WinterIron Bingo
> 
> (Prompt is an image I am unable to link)

Shots rang through the air as Tony and Bucky ran as though the hounds of Hell were on their heels. The Hydra cell that they had infiltrated was only supposed to be a small one. Simple to get in, get the information that they were after about larger bases, take out any opposition that they came across, and get back out again in one piece. However the base had been far more populated and fortified than anticipated and now they were paying for that bad information.

The explosions that Tony had rigged up to aid their escape and take out the base behind them so it couldn’t continue being used for evil had cost them time and now the agents were right on their tails.

Sprinting through the various hallways brought them to the hanger where Hydra kept the few aircrafts that they used to access the remote base without being detected by more conventional transportation. Shield had dropped them off five miles north of the base and there was no way that they were going to make it back to the drop point without being caught. In the hanger Bucky made straight for one of the two seater jets without breaking his stride as Tony looked around at all of the options.

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. What if they’ve got some sort of override in the system? Let me call my suit and I can get us back to the Helicarrier just as fast,” Tony argued as he looked around for a better option that would buy them some more time for ether his suit to get there or for Shield to show up and give them some backup.

Bucky shook his head adamantly. “We ain’t got much of a choice right now. There’s no time to wait. Plus, you can’t carry me as fast as we need to go while you’re in your suit and I ain’t letting you out of my sight. Now get in the jet.”

The explosion behind them that rocked the base told Tony that they didn’t have the time to argue as he was pulled forward by his boyfriend. Scrambling behind Bucky, Tony got himself into the back seat and buckled in nice and tight as Bucky quickly ran through the ignition sequence bringing the top down and firing up the engines.

“Put the mask on,” Bucky ordered as he clipped his own on and took hold of the steering mechanism. “We’re not going to be holding back the speed and I don’t want you passing out on me.”

Tony didn’t have any arguments against that and quickly pulled on the face mask, clipping it in place, and making sure that the flow of oxygen was coming clear through. Bucky wasn’t the only one that didn’t want him passing out and with the arc reactor taking up space in his chest he was already fighting against a reduced lung capacity to begin with. There was no way that he was going to take a chance and make himself even more vulnerable than he had to be.

Bucky rushed through all of the starting procedures and soon they were shooting out of the base, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Hydra agents that they knew would soon be after them in the remaining jets. If Tony’d had his way he would have done something to disable the rest of the jets but there just hadn’t been time. They would just need to hope that their head start would be enough.

Once they were up in the air Bucky set a course back to the Helicarrier over the Atlantic Ocean at full speed knowing that it was essential for them to get there as fast as possible before Hydra called in any reinforcements. If that happened they would have a fight on their hands that Tony knew wouldn’t be in their favor.

While Bucky piloted Tony focused on the information showing up on the screens on either side of him. He filtered through the most pertinent, their speed and distance from the Helicarrier, to the Hydra jets that were launching behind them.

“We’ve got Hydra coming up behind us,” Tony warned Bucky.

“Got it,” answered Bucky tersely.

The jet took a sudden change of course to try and avoid the enemy behind them. Trusting Bucky to handle the flying, Tony worked his way into the jet systems and sent out a distress signal to Shield so they’d know their position, send help, and be prepared to engage with the enemy as soon as they were in range.

Tony had barely gotten that done when the radar picked up two signals closing in on their position fast. Numbers raced through his head as he mentally calculated the distance, speed, and trajectory of the enemy in comparison to their distance from the Helicarrier and the time that they would need.

Tony’s eyes flew over the readouts of the Hydra crafts pursuing them and relayed the information to Bucky who maneuvered the jet expertly to keep them out of range of the missiles being shot at them. Multiple turns, inversions, and rapid altitude changes prevented more than one near miss and made Tony grateful for the extra oxygen coming from his face mask or he would have passed out by now.

They just had to keep this up for another two minutes and then they would be in range of the Helicarrier and would get the back up they desperately needed.

Two minutes proved to be too long however and when Bucky sent them into a roll to try and avoid one missile, a second one clipped the tail end of their jet sending them into an uncontrolled spin down towards the ocean below them.

“Shit!” Bucky shouted as he tried desperately to get control of the jet but it was no use. “Tony eject! We’re going to have to take our chances in the water. Eject now!”

Listening without question Tony pulled the eject cord on his seat at the same time Bucky did. The roof above them flew away and Bucky’s seat went flying out of the jet. Tony however stayed right where he was. Heart racing in his chest Tony yanked on the cord repeatedly but nothing changed. His seat was stuck fast in place. The only thing he could do was brace himself against the instruments to either side of him as the water came rushing up.

As the aircraft crashed into the ocean the only thing that kept Tony from slamming head first into the console at the front of the jet were the same buckles that had kept him strapped to the damaged jet in the first place. The weight of the jet, even with the missing tail end of it, was enough to make it start to sink rapidly, quickly submerging Tony in the icy waters.

The moment the water came up and covered his face Tony began to panic. Memories of the cave and being forced under the water and held there, unable to breathe, flashed before his eyes. Tony’s hands scrambled at the belt buckles trying frantically to unhook them but it was useless. They were jammed fast holding him in place unable to move and he didn’t have the angle or the strength to force them open.

As he fought to free himself the jet continued to sink rapidly into the inky depths of the water causing Tony’s ears to pop as the pressure changed. His only saving grace were the wings of the jet providing some resistance against the water or he’d be sinking even faster than he already was. That was only a small comfort however when he knew that he’d either have to find some way to get himself unbuckled or risk being crushed by the pressure of the water pressing around him from every direction.

The more Tony struggled, the harder he breathed as he worked to try and keep his rising panic under control. At the rate he was using up the oxygen from his mask he was at risk of not having to even worry about being crushed. He’d drown before that ever happened.

The air he was currently breathing in wasn’t meant to last for a dive but just to supplement the air already around him to keep him from passing out while in the air. It also meant that he mask over his face wasn’t perfectly flush against his face and water was trickling in around the edges and occasionally being swallowed making the choking and drowning feeling even stronger.

Looking up through the blown out roof of the jet Tony gazed desperately at the fading light from the surface as his hopes of escaping dwindled away. His struggles began to fade as it got harder and harder to suck down any air letting him know that the oxygen tank was just about run dry. Even then he couldn’t stop fighting. He hadn’t stopped fighting against the Ten Rings. He hadn’t stopped fighting against Obadiah. He certainly wasn’t about to stop fighting now even when it was looking increasingly hopeless.

Desperate gulps weren’t bringing in any more air and Tony couldn’t stop himself from running the numbers in his head for how much longer he could hold out for.

Before Tony could give in to the depressing thoughts a dark shadow passed over him making him look up towards the surface once more. Instead of just the distant strip of light getting farther away he saw a glint of metal getting closer to him making his heart leap in his chest.

Bucky used his strong arms, metal reflecting the poor light as he got closer, to propel himself downwards through the depths towards the shining blue beacon in Tony’s chest and into the broken jet in front of his boyfriend. Super human hands reached out and made short work of tearing apart the buckles trapping Tony to the seat and yanking him out of the jet and up towards the surface and precious air.

Tony swam as hard as he could but he could feel his movements getting slower and weaker as dark spots dance in front of his eyes. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could force himself to keep holding his breath before he lost consciousness and it was out of his hands.

The only thing keeping him going at this point were the strong arms wrapped around his chest pulling him closer to the surface even when his own strength began to fade. Just when he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer and Bucky would be dragging nothing more than a body with him they reached the surface.

As soon as they burst through the surface of the water Tony let out a large gasp and began coughing as he tried to fill his lungs with the air they had been denied for too long and to try and get his panicking under control so he could breathe easier again.

Treading water Tony clung to Bucky’s shoulders afraid that if he were to let go he’d be dragged underneath again and drowned repeatedly just like he had been in Afghanistan. Those thoughts just sent him spiraling back down into his panic and the water completely surrounding him wasn’t helping in the least.

“Tony! Tony!” Bucky yelled, gripping the other man under one armpit in order to keep him above the water and used the other hand to force to to look at him. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you now. Everything’s going to be okay. Just focus on me right now.”

“B-Bucky,” Tony gasped, wide eyed, as he clung to Bucky’s shoulders even tighter.

Bucky shhed him and drew him in closer making sure to always keep Tony’s head above the water as they kicked to keep themselves afloat. Treading water wasn’t an easy task between Bucky’s metal arm, the gear that they had been wearing, and how waterlogged their clothes were. The only upside to having the jet destroyed and sunk was that Hydra had given up chasing them under the impression that they had been shot down. Now all they had to do was hold out long enough for Shield to follow their distress signal and come and pick them up.

Just as Tony was starting to get his breathing back under his control Bucky twitched and stared up at the sky.

“What is it?” Tony asked, worried that Hydra might be making another pass over them to make certain that they were dead.

“Missile fire,” answered Bucky. “The cavalry’s arrived. Now we’ve just got to wait until Shield’s finished chewing up Hydra and then get a lift out of here. Think you can hang on that long Doll?”

Tony nodded but didn’t loosen his hold on his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Just as long as you don’t let go of me I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t worry about that Tony. I don’t plan on ever letting you go,” Bucky promised, voice full of feeling as he pulled Tony even closer to him, not about to let go of the man he loved anytime soon.

The mission hadn’t gone according to plan and there was still plenty of dangers ahead with the lives that they had chosen to live but for now they could let someone else handle the immediate danger and just hold on to one another while they waited for rescue. As long as they had each other to watch out for them they could face any danger.


End file.
